VOA慢速英语2014 Do You Have a Broken Heart? A Heart of Stone? 你是内心绝望吗？还是铁石心肠？

 

Do You Have a Broken Heart? A Heart of Stone? 你是内心绝望吗？还是铁石心肠？

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

I’m Rich Kleinfeldt with some expressions using the word heart.

People believed for a long time that the heart was the center of a person’s emotions.  That is why the word "heart" is used in so many expressions about emotional² situations.

很长时间以来人们都认为心是控制个人感情状态的核心。这也正好解释了为什么在表达个人情感状态的很多词语中都使用心这个字眼。

One such expression is to “lose your heart” to someone.  When that happens, you have fallen in love.  But if the person who won your heart does not love you, then you are sure to have a “broken heart.”  In your pain and sadness, you may decide that the person you loved is “hard-hearted,” and in fact, has a “heart of stone.”

有这样的一个短语是“对某人倾心”。当这种情况发生时，表明你已经坠入爱河爱上了这个人。但是如果这个人虽“赢得了你的芳心”却不爱你，此刻你一定“伤心欲绝”。经历了这种痛苦和悲伤，你可能认为你爱的人是冷漠无情的，并且实际上有一颗“铁石心肠”。

You may decide to “pour out your heart” to a friend.  Telling someone about your personal problems can often make you feel better.

你可能会向你的朋友“倾吐心事”。向朋友倾诉个人的事情能够经常的使你感觉良好。

If your friend does not seem to understand how painful your broken heart is, you may ask her to “have a heart.”  You are asking your friend to show some sympathy for your situation. Your friend “has her heart in the right place” if she says she is sorry, and shows great concern for how you feel.

如果你的朋友似乎不知道你内心有多么痛苦，你可能会请求她“可怜你”。你请求你的朋友同情你目前所处的状况。如果你的朋友“表示抱歉”说明他对你是善意的，并且对你的状况表示极大的很关心。

Your friend may, however, warn you not to “wear your heart on your sleeve.”  In other words, do not let everyone see how lovesick you are.  When your heart is on your sleeve you are showing your deepest emotions.

然而你的朋友们可能会提醒你“不要把心放在你的袖子上”。换言之就是不要让人们看到你是多么的单相思的。当你把心放到袖子上时就把你内心深处的感情展现了出来。

If your friend says “my heart bleeds for you,” she means the opposite.  She is a cold-hearted person who does not really care about your situation.

如果你的朋友说，“你真可怜”，其实你的朋友此刻并不同情你。她是一个内心冷漠的人并不关心你目前的情况。

In the ever-popular motion¹ picture, “The Wizard of Oz,” the Tin Man seeks a heart. He wanted to feel the emotion of love, and was seeking help from the powerful Wizard of Oz to find a heart.

在一部曾经非常受欢迎的电影绿野仙踪中，有铁皮人寻找心这一情节。他想体会被爱的感觉并找强大的奥兹国的魔法师帮忙找一颗心。

The Cowardly Lion, in the same movie, did have a heart.  But he lacked courage and wanted to ask the Wizard of Oz to give him some.  You could say that the cowardly lion was “chicken-hearted.”  That is another way of describing someone who is not very brave.  A chicken is not noted³ for its bravery.  Thus, someone who is chicken-hearted does not have much courage.

在这部电影中有一个胆小的狮子，他确实有一颗心。但是他缺少勇气，想要奥兹国的魔法师赐予他一些。我们可以说这个胆小的狮子是“软弱的”。这是另外一种描述一个人不够勇敢的方式。胆小鬼最显著的特点是不勇敢。因此，一个人是胆小懦弱的，那么就不会有足够的勇气。

When you are frightened or concerned, your “heart is in your mouth.”  You might say, for example, that your heart was in your mouth when you asked a bank to lend you some money to pay for a new house.

当你害怕或担心的时候，你的“心仿佛就在嘴边。”比如当你向请求银行借钱买房的时候，你此时可能是既担心又害怕的。

If that bank says no to you, do not “lose heart.”  Be strong-hearted.  Sit down with the banker and have a “heart-to-heart” talk: be open and honest about your situation. The bank may have a “change of heart” -- it may agree to lend you the money. Then you could stop worrying and “put your heart at rest.”

如果那家银行不同意你的请求，请不要失去信心。振作起来并和银行工作人员进行一次推心置腹的交谈。坦诚交代你的真实状况。银行也许会改变做法同意借给你钱。此时你可以把心放在肚子里不要担心了。

 

This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Marilyn Christiano.

1 motion   

n.打手势，示意，移动，动作，提议，大便；v.运动，向...打手势，示意

参考例句：

• She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet.她能感觉到脚下船在晃动。
• Don't open the door while the train is in motion.列车运行时，请勿打开车门。

2 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。